“No, I do not hesitate; but I really pity this poor Comte de Wardes, since you have ceased to love him. I think that a man must be so severely punished by the loss of your love that he stands in need of no other chastisement.”
“Who told you that I loved him?” asked Milady, sharply.
“At least, I am now at liberty to believe, without too much fatuity, that you love another,” said the young man, in a caressing tone, “and I repeat that I am really interested for the count.”
“You?” asked Milady.
“Yes, I.”
“And why you ?”
“Because I alone know—”
“What?”
“That he is far from being, or rather having been, so guilty toward you as he appears.”
“Indeed!” said Milady, in an anxious tone; “explain yourself, for I really cannot tell what you mean.”
And she looked at d’Artagnan, who embraced her tenderly, with eyes which seemed to burn themselves away.
“Yes; I am a man of honor,” said d’Artagnan, determined to come to an end, “and since your love is mine, and I am satisfied I possess it—for I do possess it, do I not?”
“Entirely; go on.”
“Well, I feel as if transformed—a confession weighs on my mind.”